NBM feat. The Wedding Present / Weval / Happyness / Pional

Hairyamp Promotions and Trackage Scheme, two of Malta’s top alternative music promotion groups join forces this year for another “Nil By Mouth” mini festival, albeit one with a difference. Due to various reasons, this year’s edition has been a few years in the making. Having previously been staged at the sadly missed V-Gen in Paceville, this year’s edition promises to be bigger, better and more ambitious than ever.

Held at the main stage at The Dome, Aria Complex on Saturday the 30th September, a breath-taking eclectic line-up bringing together local and foreign alternative bands and electronic acts will make this one of the local music events of the year.

The aim of this year’s Nil by Mouth and indeed of the collaboration between the two promoters was to take the event to another level and target bands and electronic acts that are no strangers to Europe’s top festivals. All foreign acts have been touring extensively this summer, playing renowned festivals like Primavera Sound, Best Kept Secret, End of the Road, and the Reading and Leeds Festivals to name but a few.

Brighton-based indie legends The Wedding Present need no introduction. One of the UK’s top bands in the late 80’s and early 90’s, the band retains its cult status till this very day. With eighteen top-40 singles in the UK alone under their belt, they were one of the BBC’s late disc jockey John Peel, most played bands. The band has changed line-up over the years but main man David Gedge has not only kept the band’s name alive, but the band as relevant and influential as ever.

Another band featuring at this year’s edition are Happyness. The ironic thing about them is that although British, they couldn’t sound any more American. Heavily influenced by bands such as Sparklehorse, Pavement and Yo La Tengo, it’s their wit and lyrical context that is definitely all British. Two albums down the line, the band has received great critical acclaim from the likes of NME, The Guardian, Uncut and Q.

Probably one of Holland’s finest musical exports to date, Weval bring their broad and diverse electronic sounds to this year’s Nil By Mouth with a live set. This Dutch duo are growing at an outrageous rate with this summer proving to be a rather busy one for them playing one festival after another. Pitchfork described their debut album as being “perfectly-sequenced, mysterious and moody, the fully formed nature of their song-writing sublime, their pacing and monolithically tasteful atmosphere is remarkable.’’

Also not to be missed on the night is Madrid-based electronic artist Pional’s DJ set. Renowned for his collaborations with John Talabot, Pional has also remixed the likes of The XX, Frank Ocean and The Rapture. He was described by Spain’s most circulated daily newspaper “El Pais” as being a “mainstay of the national electronic music scene”.

Local alternative band The Velts will kick off the event in style with local electronic artists Kntrl and Fabricka also performing on the night.

This year’s edition of Nil By Mouth is being held in collaboration with Broadside Terrace, Band Aid Music, Krea, XFM 100.2, Taxify, The British Council and The Dutch Embassy.

Keep up to date by following the event page for any updates on the event, offers and competitions. Tickets can be bought online from here.